


Kings don't need crowns

by defeatingPain (orphan_account)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, dead uther, ygraine is alive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-31 19:22:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6484381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/defeatingPain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Arthur was five years old he awoke destiny. By pushing Merlin and making both of them cry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kings don't need crowns

**Author's Note:**

> It had two parts so yeah...

It was when a five year old Tommy Hill told Merlin that he was in fact, his best friend, that a frowning Arthur stood up agitated

Taking Merlin by the hand Arthur pushed past the other kids on the playground and made his way to the sand box of destiny.

"Whacha doing, Arthur?" Merlin asked, looking curiously at his friend.

"Merlin you know you can't be Tommy Hill's best friend right?" Arthur asked seriously.

Merlin frowned. "Why not? He gives me lemon tarts every morning"

Arthur shook his head sadly, looking at the tiny boy with a pitiful look. "That's not how you make best friends silly."

"Is too." Merlin said obstinately crossing his hands.

"Is not"

 _"_ _Is_ _too"_

"Is not. You know what best friends do? They push each other" Arthur said, and just to get the point across he pushed Merlin who fell his back to the sand.

Merlin glared at Arthur who was now giggling and shuffling up he said, "No, that's what meanies do.  _Meanie!_ " 

He pushed Arthur who fell on the sand as well. 

Arthur looked at Merlin, his lips wobbling before he burst into tears.

Merlin took one look at him and then guessing that he should probably do the same, started bawling.

Two days and three forced play dates later Arthur held his tongue out to Tommy Hill, proudly walking near a happily chatting Merlin about some weird toy he'd got.

***

Arthur had been barely seven years old when she came. The cutest little eight year old with the gloomiest expression he had ever seen. Arthur approached like she was a time bomb, shuffling his feet and looking everywhere but at her.

Morgana was on her laptop having buried herself in something called 'K-pop' (Arthur didn't even  _want_ to know) when Arthur hesitantly tugged her ponytail.

She looked up sharply and on noticing him eyed him warily. 

"What do you want?"She asked. Her voice was heavy and her eyes unfocused. 

Arthur looked at her shyly. He opened his mouth to speak, and then stopped. He looked at her instead and gave her a hesitant smile.

She looked suspiciously at him. "What?" She asked.

"You- you're very pretty." He said shyly, shifting his feet awkwardly. 

Her mouth twitched. 

"Thank you."

"What's your name?" He asked some of his shyness melting.

"Morgana"

 

"Will you play with me?" He asked her.

She got off her seat and looked at her feet, "What are you playing?"

Arthur looked at her excited now. "We're playing kingdom." He said "  _I_ created it." He added, proudly. 

"Ok," She said after a thought. "Whose 'we'?" She asked, following him outside their house where Merlin was holding up a glass. Seeing Arthur he grinned.

"Me and Merlin." Arthur told her. "He's going to be my manservant. I'm the king in the game."

"What am I?" Morgana asked. 

"You can be the... Queen. Do you want to be the queen."

Morgana frowned. "What can the queen do?"

"You get to sit on the throne instead of doing the boring work." Arthur told her smiling but she only frowned more.

"I don't want to do that." She said. "I'll be the..."

Then as if struck by a revelation she gasped, " _The_ _sorceress!_  Make me the sorceress." She demanded

"Okay. We can do that." Arthur nodded. 

They spend the rest of the evening being chased by Morgana with a water gun, till both Ygraine and Hunith pulled them inside.

***

If Merlin had to put a date to it, it would probably be somewhere around his fourteenth birthday when he realised, that undeniably so, he was in love with his best friend.

He remembered crying. 

It wasn't the revelation that he was gay, it was more the fear of judgement.

He went to Morgana. 

"It's not anything wrong, Merlin." She said accepting his head on her lap, playing around with his hair

"I know Morg, it's just..."

"What?"

"Will he... would he even understand?"

"Of course he'd understand, Merlin. Perhaps even more than just understand."

Merlin shook his head. He realised what she was implying. She was wrong.

"Try and ask him Merlin."

"What?"

"You bloody well know 'what' Merlin Emrys."

He  sighed, "Morgana, Arthur might flirt with guys but that doesn't mean-"

"Merlin as your kind-of older sister and most trusted companion-"

"Arthur's my most trusted-"

"I  _insist_ you ask him out."

" _Ask him out?!"_  Merlin sqaucked. "I'm not-  _Ask him out?_   Seriously Morgana."

"Why not? He's only a boy-"

"He's my bloody best-"

"Whose your bloody best?" Arthur asked leaning on the door. 

" _Arthur!"_ Merlin said while giving a meaningful look to Morgana to shut her bloody face. 

"What's up?" Merlin asked a bit too brightly. Arthur eyed him suspiciously. 

"What were you guys talking about?" Arthur asked.

"W-we...uh, we were-" Merlin spluttered and Morgana rolled her eyes.

"You. We were talking about you."

Merlin's eyes went wide. Internally he began planning the gory and very 'sad' murder of Morgana Pendragon. 

"Me?" Arthur asked plopping herself to the bed.

"Yeah, how Merlin really wants your new hoodie." Morgana continued, her voice bored. 

Arthur relaxed, rolling his eyes. "Seriously Merlin? You know you're not getting it by conspiring with Morgana, right? She tells me everything." 

"Yeah, well she  _wasn't_ supposed to tell you, about ...the beanie."

"I agree with Arthur, Merlin.  _How_ exactly do you propose to get the hoodie, without asking Arthur first."

Merlin glowered at her. " _Maybe,_  Arthur doesn't  _want_ to give me his hoodie."

Arthur looked confused, "If the hoodie's that important to you, I don't really mind."

"No it's oka-" Merlin started.

"It bloody well is not okay. Merlin, I know how important Arthur's hoodie is to you."

Merlin glared at her, "I don't want the bloody hoodie, okay?"

Arthur got up. "What is this about?"

"A hood-"

"I'm serious."

Merlin bit at his lips.

"I...I'm gay?"

"I swear to you arseholes, I'm going to kill you if you don't tell me  _what_ the deal is, and seriously."

"I _am_ serious. I'm gay." Merlin said. 

"I know  _that,_ Merlin."

"What?"

"Arthur it's his birthday tomorrow, if shock kills him today, I'm pinning it all on you."

"But I don't- I thought-"

"Hey Merlin, it's fucking okay. If I wasn't okay with any of it, then I'd be an arsehole."

"I just-okay."

Arthur grinned and Merlin uneasily smiled back. Morgana was shaking her head behind him, and Merlin was sure she was going to have a very serious conversation with him later.

***

Hunith Emrys had always been a very kind woman. While Ygraine lived Uther's death day after day in an endless cycle, Arthur was spared from feeling the absence of a father by Hunith's strong but amazing ways. Every year despite having a christmas tree and a mansion with servants more than ready to make a lavish dinner at their wish, Arthur and Morgana insisted on spending Christmas at Hunith's. 

While it had started giving way to Arthur's insistent whining, given time it had morphed into a tradition. They _were_ neighbours anyway. Perhaps the only thing that dampened the tradition was Morgause's some what unwanted presence, but as far as Hunith was concerned, it didn't matter. 

These were one of the rare occasions where Ygraine allowed herself to laugh. 

"Thank you for having us, Hunith." She said pleasantly. 

Hunith smiled. "Hush now, help yourself to more chicken. Not the one on the right, I'm afraid that's Merlin's burnt chicken."

"It is  _not_ burnt."

"Merlin, being a victim of your absolutely horrid cookies earlier, I'm going to trust Hunith on this one." Arthur said in midst of stuffing his face with some pudding.

Morgana nodded, "I second that, remember the noodles he tried to make."

"I didn't know-"

"My kitchen looked like a murder scene." Hunith commented dryly. 

"Oh yeah, he totally fucked up-"

" _Morgana"_ Ygraine chided and saw from the corner of her eyes, Morgause glowering at her. Ygraine knew Morgana's 'long lost sister' was not well disposed towards her. She decided not to give it much attention. 

Arthur had noticed Morgause as well and opened his mouth to say something when Merlin pinched him.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"What?" Merlin asked innocently

"You pinched me."

"Did not."

"Did  _too"_

"What are you five?"

"Your face is five."

"What-"

"Boys" Hunith scolded. "Christmas. No killing each other during Christmas."

"Whatever."

"Fine"

Morgana chuckled, "You guys need to get a room already."

"Morgana, can you please pass me the salt." Morgause said icily, snatching the salt Morgana warily gave her. 

She looked a bit irritated by her sister and almost missed the blush on the faces of the two boys. 

Almost.

~ 

"- and then Merlin stormed inside, completely dirty and screamed at me, 'Arthur Pendragon is a meanie and I'm never giving him cookies again." Hunith spoke between chuckles. 

Everyone was laughing, save Merlin who rolled his eyes. "I was  _five._ This arsehole  _pushed_ me." He murmured. Arthur whacked him on the head.

Ygraine laughed, "I remember that day. I'd summoned him to the study room. I was very angry. Arthur was  _never_ violent-" Merlin scoffed "- I asked why _exactly_  he'd done that and he said, quite proudly I might add, 'That's coz I'm-"

" _Oh my god mum, stop"_ Arthur spoke, sounding beyond mortified. 

"- I'm going marry him, of course"

The laughter was beyond stoppable and Merlin blushed like a virgin. Arthur just slumped his head on the table and spoke from under there- " I hate you. I hate all of you."

"Aww, Arthur you don't hate _Merlin_ now surely?" Morgana teased.

"You wanna talk, harpy?" Arthur challenged  "Because I seem to recall a certain incident at the park, who was it again? Some-"

"One more word and mum knows about last week" Morgana said smugly, enjoying the immediate shutting up of a very red Arthur Pendragon. 

Ygraine looked at her kids smiling widely. Catching a look at the time on the wall, she smiled at Hunith. "I think I've had enough fun for now. I think I'll retire to bed now."

There were arguments from the kids, but Hunith shushed them. "I'll send the kids back by twelve, Ygraine. Go rest."

She left the house hugging her coat as she made way to her own home. She was almost at the gate when Morgause caught up to her. 

"Ah, Morgause, is some-"

"Don't you dare act innocent with me you bitch." The other woman snarled and Ygraine recoiled slightly. 

"Okay... what's wrong?"

"Don't try that face with me Pendragon. You think I can't see it? The way you like having Morgana licking from your palm?"

Ygraine frowned. 

"Morgause, I don't understand, are you- do you think I'm controlling, of all people, _Morgana?_ "

"Do  _not_ talk like you don't know what  I am talking about-"

"I don't, actually. Morgana is my daughter. Yes, I chide her on things that are wrong, but-"

Morgause laughed mockingly. " _Daughter?_ She is _my_ blood. She's _just_ your bastard. A burden your husband gave you because he couldn't keep it in his pants. She's not even your real daughter. Don't even pretend-"

Ygraine slapped her. 

She didn't even intend to, it was like an old gear had just whirred into action, doing the job it was supposed to do ages ago.

Morgause's hand touched her reddening cheek. 

Then she sneered, her face contorting nastily, "You are no one to her. You're not even her real mother-"

"Sure she is." A voice from behind her said casually. With her black attire, Morgana had almost managed to melt to the darkness.

Morgause grabbed Morgana's shoulder, "Sister, this family is not yours. It was never yours. It is poisonous and-"

"No." Morgana said simply "I don't care what this family seems to you. It is still mine."

Merlin was running up behind her.

"Morg-" he stopped on seeing the tension before him.

"Morgana, you need to understand-"

"No I don't. Everyone in this family would gladly die for me. Just as I would for them."

Ygraine heard Merlin mutter something about ' _melodrama'_  

"Morgana-" Morgause started again.

"Oh for god's sake take a bloody hint would you." Merlin said, standing firmly at Morgana's side. 

Morgause narrowed her eyes. "You do not hold the audacity of talking to me. You of all the-"

"For your sake I hope you'll shut up." Arthur said coming up to the scene of battle. 

 _The three musketeers,_ Ygraine mused.

Surrounded, Morgause glared at Ygraine before running inside. 

Ygraine looked at her daughter. Abruptly she ran up to them and hugged her. 

"You'll always be my daughter." She told Morgana, steadily forcing herself to not cry. 

From the corner of her eye she saw Merlin and Arthur shuffling awkwardly. 

Rolling her eyes, she pulled them to hug as well. 

"Really mum, these arseholes as well?" Morgana complained. 

"Language Morg." Ygraine scolded, releasing them.

"I'm just saying.."

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'll upload the second one in a few hours, I think. :D


End file.
